An alert sent by ODU at around 12:10 p.m. reads: “This is an all clear notification. The emergency at Constant Hall has ended. There is no longer an active threat to the campus community. Avoid the area in and around Constant Hall where emergency officials continue to work.”
A spokesperson at ODU initially told 13News Now that two people were hurt in the shooting, and the gunman “is now deceased.” Chief Shelton later clarified that a third victim self-transported to the Sentara Independence free-standing emergency department in Virginia Beach for treatment.
A spokesperson for Sentara Health said two victims were taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where one succumbed to their injuries. The other victim remains in critical condition. The third victim, who went to the hospital in Virginia Beach, has been treated and released, according to Sentara.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the shooter died.
ABC News reported that the shooter is believed to be Mohamed Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard, previously convicted in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, according to two sources.
The sources told ABC that Jalloh was sentenced in 2017 to 11 years in prison and was released in December 2024.
ABC said Jalloh reportedly walked into a room on ODU’s campus, asked if it was a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) class, and when someone replied “yes,” Jalloh shot the instructor several times.
Lt. Col. Jimmy Delongchamp, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Cadet Command in Kentucky, told the Associated Press that two wounded students belong to the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at ODU.
Delongchamp told the AP, “We will continue to coordinate with the university and law enforcement agencies as they investigate the incident. There’s still a lot more stuff we have to work out.”
ABC said when Jalloh pleaded guilty in 2016, he admitted to communicating with an overseas member of ISIS who had introduced him to someone in the U.S., who was also allegedly part of ISIS, but was actually an FBI informant. The member of ISIS reportedly was planning an attack and believed Jalloh would assist the informant in carrying it out. During one meeting with the informant, Jalloh was asked about a timeline for the operation, and he said it was better to plan an attack during the month of Ramadan, court records said.
Prosecutors recommended Jalloh serve 20 years in prison, and it is unclear why he was released ahead of his 11-year sentence. However, it is not uncommon for inmates to be released ahead of schedule in the federal prison system.
FBI Director Kash Patel released a statement on Thursday afternoon, sharing that the department is investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism:
Earlier today, an armed individual opened fire at Old Dominion University, leaving one person dead and two others wounded. The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him – actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement.
The FBI is now investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism. Our Joint Terrorism Task Force is fully engaged, embedded with local authorities, and providing all resources necessary in the investigation.
In the meantime, please pray for the victims, their families, and the ODU community.
Victim identified
Vorhees University, an HBCU in Denmark, South Carolina, posted that they were mourning the loss of Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, who was killed in the shooting:
The Vorhees University family is deeply saddened by the tragic shooting that occurred today at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
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